Report: Baker Mayfield requests trade but Browns won't grant it

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has reportedly requested a trade but the team says it will not grant it.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was first to report the trade request.

Mayfield confirmed the report in a statement provided to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

“It’s in the mutual interest of both sides for us to move on," Mayfield said. "The relationship is too far [gone] to mend. It’s in the best interests of both sides to move on.”

However, multiple reporters say the team has told Mayfield's representatives that the request will not be met.

These latest developments come on the heels of reports earlier this week that Browns brass was attempting to trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and had travelled to meet with the QB in hopes of enticing him to Cleveland in what would be a blockbuster deal to replace Mayfield.

On Tuesday night, Mayfield released a personal statement via Twitter addressing the uncertainties while thanking the city of Cleveland for embracing him. 

The Browns are one of several teams hoping to land Watson despite a series of disturbing allegations against the former Texans starter that emerged last March. Watson is currently facing 22 active civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage appointments. Earlier this month, it was determined by a grand jury in Harris County that Watson would not face criminal charges. In January 2021, Watson requested to be traded from Houston. He did not appear in a game for the entire 2021 season.  

The Browns selected Mayfield first overall in 2018, his remarkable rookie season bringing with it hope that Cleveland’s long, drawn-out struggle to find a franchise quarterback had finally come to an end.

Mayfield’s tenure since then has been far from easy, however. In four years, he’s seen three coaching changes, but despite the adversity Mayfield led the Browns to the post-season in January 2021 for the first time in nearly two decades. A thrilling wild-card win over AFC North rivals Pittsburgh Steelers solidified his place in Browns lore, but a string of injuries to Mayfield and several other key position players in 2021 hindered any hopes of building on that success this past season amid heightened expectations that even saw some pick Cleveland to win the Super Bowl. The Browns finished the season with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs and landing third in the AFC North while it watched last year's divisional loser, the Cincinnati Bengals, surge ahead all the way to the Super Bowl.